


your love (like a wisteria)

by miramiro



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hugs, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan is Whipped, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26251645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miramiro/pseuds/miramiro
Summary: Mark likes Donghyuck; Donghyuck likes Mark. Mark knows that Donghyuck likes him and Donghyuck knows that Mark likes him. So why aren't they together yet?
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 14
Kudos: 208





	your love (like a wisteria)

**Author's Note:**

> _your love (like a wisteria)  
>  seeks the sun (seeks me)  
> to bloom ___

Mark ducks his head, pink blooming on his high cheekbones. He’s flustered. Donghyuck would have found it cute like he normally does if his brain wasn’t short-circuiting.

“You—you what?” Donghyuck’s legs feel weak.

Mark blinks at the ground and then gazes up through his eyelashes. “I like you,” he states, looking Donghyuck right in the eye. His gaze hits Donghyuck right in the heart. 

“Oh.” 

Mark opens his mouth, clamps it shuts, then opens it again. “So… ?” he trails off, looking like a deflating balloon. Donghyuck doesn’t like that. Balloons are meant to soar up to the sky, and Mark is meant to— _fuck_ —Donghyuck can’t do words right now.

He sighs at his hopelessness. His Creative Writing professor would be so disappointed in his favourite student. Mark takes it as a bad sign and backtracks immediately, “I mean, you don’t need to—like, I don’t want to impose my feelings on you, and like—”

Donghyuck holds up a hand to pause Mark before he rambles enough to feel embarrassed and run away before Donghyuck can get a word out. “Before I say anything, could you tell me when you realized you liked me?” Amazing. Donghyuck didn’t stutter. He could barely hear himself over his heartbeat booming in his ears. But he’s proud of himself at that moment.

“Hyuck, just—you can just say ‘no’, it’s alright.”

“Answer the question, Mark.” Mark looks ready to run. “Please?” Donghyuck tacks on.

Mark sighs and mumbles something. “What?” Donghyuck asks. He sounds like a broken record to himself—what _what_ what.

“Since senior year, high school,” Mark repeats. He has once again traded his natural bashfulness for confidence, and this time, it is Donghyuck who looks away, feeling his face warm up. They’ve been best friends since freshman year of high school and they’re juniors at university right now, so that means Mark has liked him for—

“Fuck, that’s a long time,” Donghyuck blurts, whipping his head to stare at Mark with wide eyes. Mark turns red. “Yeah,” he mumbles.

Donghyuck’s heart nearly stops beating. “I need to sit down. Can I sit down?” he asks. 

“What? Of course, Hyuck, what kind of question is that?” Mark asks. Donghyuck sinks into their lumpy sofa and pats the space beside him. “Come, sit.” 

“Look, I get it. You don’t need to—”

“Mark, please.” Donghyuck pulls his legs up.

When Mark still resists and stands rooted to his spot, Donghyuck uses his lethal puppy dog eyes and pout combo and watches Mark crumble like he knew Mark would. When asked about what he has achieved in life so far, if nothing else, Donghyuck can proudly say that he has perfected the art of making Mark Lee bend to his will.

Donghyuck lights up when Mark takes a seat on the sofa and copies his cross-legged stance. He holds his hands out, palms up. Mark stares at them for a heartbeat before placing his palms on top. Donghyuck clasps his hands gently.

“Are we talking about our feelings?” Mark jokes. 

Donghyuck raises an eyebrow. “Of course,” he says. “So. You like me.”

“We’ve already established that Hyuck, but, yes.”

“And you’ve liked me since senior year, high school.”

“Yes. Can we just forget I said anything? We can like—”

“I like you, too.”

“—order pizza and marathon 90s rom-coms like you—wait, what?” Mark’s mouth falls open. His eyes would have fallen out of their sockets were it possible.

“I like you, too,” Donghyuck says softly, with an equally soft smile on his face.

“Wait, hold up, are you serious? When did this happen?”

“It’s rather recent. I just, sort of realized one day that I like you. A lot.”

“Oh.” Mark mirrors his reply from earlier, but he is smiling. Joy mixed with hope and relief. “So,” he murmurs, leaning forward, eyes flicking to Donghyuck’s lips and back up to stare into his eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

“No.”

“Oh. _Oh._ Fuck, I’m sorry,” Mark pulls his hands out of Donghyuck’s grasp and shifts back, ready to bolt to his room.

“No, wait, listen, Mark. I don’t want you to kiss me _right now_ ,” Donghyuck pacifies him, catching hold of Mark’s hands before he can run away. “I like you, I really do. But it’s really recent for me, while you’ve liked me for quite a while, and I’m—to be honest, I’m scared.” 

The adrenaline seemingly under control, Mark physically relaxes, switching from panic mode to problem-solver mode. “Scared of what, Hyuckie?” he asks gently.

“Losing our friendship. Losing you.”

Mark gives him a look that makes Donghyuck huff. “Okay, I know how cheesy that sounds, but it’s true! What if you don’t like me as a boyfriend? What if I don’t like you as a boyfriend?”

“We’ve been best friends for what—seven years now? I think I’ve seen every side to you, Hyuck. And I still like you.”

Donghyuck blushes. “Shut up,” he mutters, looking away. Mark looks smug. Flustering Donghyuck is a victory not many have tasted.

Suddenly, Donghyuck gasps dramatically. “But what if we break-up and never speak again? And then our mutual friend group will dump me for you and—”

Mark laughs. “So melodramatic, Hyuckie.” He loves it. Donghyuck pouts, then laughs with him. A moment later, he sobers up.

“Mark, I don’t think I’m ready yet,” Donghyuck says softly, seriously, and Mark knows he is telling the truth. “I’m not ready to transition from best friends to boyfriends, but I know I will be.” Donghyuck exhales. Mark holds his breath unconsciously. 

“Can you,” he begins, then bites his lower lip, choosing his words carefully. “Can I ask you to wait for me? I just want a little time to live with my feelings for you.” He looks down suddenly. “I understand if you don’t want to, though,” he adds, sounding small.

‘No, I’ll wait,” Mark states, promptly.

“Really? Are you sure?” 

Donghyuck’s eyes twinkle with hope; he is so loveable. Mark’s heart melts. “Of course,” he says. “I’ve waited for so long, what’s a little more time. Especially now that I know my feelings are returned.” 

Arms outstretched, Donghyuck throws himself at Mark, making him fall and nearly sink into the seat. Mark wraps his arms around Donghyuck’s shoulders, while Donghyuck buries his face in his chest. They stay like that for a long moment, just basking in the comfort and familiarity of each other’s presence.

“Thank you,” Donghyuck says, his voice sounding suspiciously wobbly. Mark smiles and drops a kiss onto the crown of Donghyuck’s head. This is normal. It’s good. They’re good. Donghyuck and Mark. Soon-to-be-boyfriends.

❊ ❋ ❊ ❋ ❊

  
“And then what?” Jaemin asks, leaning forward eagerly. Renjun notices Jaemin’s shirt touching the blob of ketchup Jaemin had spilled on the table but doesn’t say anything, eating his burger quietly.

“Then what?” Donghyuck parrots, not paying attention to Jaemin at all. Mark is sending him photographs of a stray cat he found outside the library that followed him before Mark noticed and stopped to play with it. His phone pings. Mark has crouched down low and taken a selfie with the cat. Damn, they’re both so cute. 

Jaemin, who has noticed the ketchup stain, is frantically rubbing at it with tissues. “Look!” Donghyuck brandishes his phone, showing them the photograph proudly. “So cute!” Renjun shakes his head, still not willing to engage.

“Mark or the cat?” Jaemin asks. Donghyuck levels him with a flat look. “Both, duh.”

“Oho! So, back to Mark—then what happened?”

“When what happened, Jaemin? You’re not making any sense,” Donghyuck drawls as he keysmashes a reply to Mark, and adds crying and heart emojis.

“God, you’re dense,” Jaemin huffs in frustration and takes a long, noisy slurp of his milkshake. Donghyuck hasn’t heard him. “Renjun, please,” he begs. Renjun nonchalantly dips his fries in ketchup and munches on them, ignoring Jaemin. Jeno should have been here to support Jaemin, but he’s off on a date. Lucky bastard.

“Why aren’t you and Mark together yet?” Jaemin tries again.

“How many times do I need to give you the same explanation? What’s not clicking, dude? Keep up,” Donghyuck finally keeps his phone aside and munches on his now-cold burger.

“Exactly my point, Hyuckie. It’s been a month,” Jaemin uses his future-therapist stance on him with the arms on the table and steepled fingers. His elbow lands in the ketchup once again, and Jaemin pulls his hand back, grabbing more tissues to wipe it off. “Ah, fuck this,” he grumbles to himself. Donghyuck is not impressed.

“Look, this is between me and Mark. He knows where I stand,” Donghyuck states, picking up his glass of cola to slurp from.

“Are you sure you aren’t just stringing him along?” Renjun asks, looking dead serious.

Donghyuck chokes on his cola. “What the fuck!” he sputters. “How could you even say that! Mark is my best friend, why would I do that to him?”

“That’s right, I’m the best friend,” Mark states, slipping into the booth to sit beside Donghyuck. “What’re we talking about?”

“Renjun thinks I’m stringing you along because we aren’t together yet,” Donghyuck says, sulking. Mark wraps an arm around his shoulders and pulls him closer.

“Guys, Donghyuck is doing no such thing. He has been honest from the start, and I appreciate that. We’re handling this like adults,” Mark says, grabbing Donghyuck’s cola and taking a sip.

“If you say so,” Jaemin says, at the same time as Renjun pulls a disgusted face to observe, “Donghyuck just backwashed that, Mark.”

Mark shrugs and sips more of the cola. Donghyuck stares at him fondly. Renjun pretends to throw up. “God, you two are disgusting. I’m leaving.”

“No, stay, I have to run home. Got an assignment to work on,” Mark says. “Just came here to give Donghyuck his notes.” Mark rummages through his bag and pulls out a notebook. “You forgot this at the library,” he tells Donghyuck.

“Thank you.” Donghyuck presses a swift kiss to his cheek. Mark colours instantly. “You could have just given it to me at home, though,” Donghyuck adds. “Yeah well—” Mark mumbles the rest which sounds suspiciously like ‘ _thought I’d come see you_ ’ but Donghyuck isn’t certain.

“Well.” Mark stands up and slings his bag over his shoulder. “Bye guys. I’ll see you at home, Hyuckie.” Donghyuck watches him leave. Renjun and Jaemin watch him watch Mark.

“You’re clearly in love with him,” Jaemin states. “Why don’t you just make it official and get on with it. What are you waiting for, Hyuck?”

“Jaemin, I just—”

“No, listen Donghyuck. I get where you’re coming from. I can see that Mark understands and has accepted it as well,” Renjun takes over. “But for how long?”

“Are you implying Mark won’t wait for me?”

“I’m not not saying that,” Renjun says quietly. Donghyuck glares at him. 

“Look, all we’re trying to say is, don’t take too long. If eventually, your answer turns out to be no, it’s unfair to Mark.” Jaemin says kindly. Donghyuck can’t hate him for meddling when he is being so considerate. Even though it’s unnecessary.

“Moreover, what if you take too long and Mark finds someone else?” Renjun adds.

Donghyuck scoffs. “Mark won’t do that.”

“Sure,” Renjun continues. “And what if someone else finds him? You can’t expect Mark to wait forever.” Donghyuck slurps the rest of his cola thoughtfully. 

“Think about it,” Jaemin and Renjun say together. Donghyuck is certainly thinking about it.

  
❊ ❋ ❊ ❋ ❊

  
Donghyuck is still thinking about it when he reaches home. He loves how home to him means the tiny two-bedroom apartment he shares with Mark. The first thing Donghyuck sees when he enters is Mark is lounging on the sofa, tapping away on his laptop. As usual, his glasses are perched nearly on the tip of his nose. Donghyuck always wonders how they don’t slide off entirely. Maybe they are held up by those cheekbones. 

Mark notices him standing in the doorway and calls out to him. “Hey, Hyuckie!” He sits up and pats the space beside him. Donghyuck immediately takes a seat and tries to lean on Mark. “Wait, wait,” Mark says, shutting his laptop and sliding it onto the coffee table, then opens his arms. Donghyuck collapses in them immediately and exhales heavily, snuggling into the soft cotton of Mark’s worn t-shirt. The scent of fabric conditioner mixed with the lingering traces of Mark’s cologne is comforting.

Mark holds him, letting him breathe for a moment. “Wanna tell me what’s wrong?” he asks softly. Donghyuck looks up at him, digging his chin into Mark’s chest, “Why does something need to be wrong?”

“You didn’t complain about Jaemin and Renjun immediately, that’s why. Did something happen?” Mark looks so kind, and he just— _knows_ Donghyuck so well. Donghyuck can’t believe he lucked out with this man. Every day he seems to find something new to appreciate about Mark. 

When Donghyuck realized that he had begun to feel something _more_ for Mark, had begun to take a romantic interest in him, he nearly had a panic attack. No wonder Renjun was being so hard on him now because Donghyuck had called him in tears then. Yet somehow Mark—regardless of the nature of their relationship, undeniably his other half—had sensed the change in Donghyuck and confessed first, giving him the freedom to choose.

Donghyuck has built a little paradise for himself with Mark by his side. Since he’d met Mark for the first time—the shy transfer student from Canada, who turned out to be something of a genius, but became known to Donghyuck only as his dorky best friend—Donghyuck had felt like their paths had become irrevocably intertwined. Whatever their destination might be, they would be together.

It’s scary thinking about how one wrong move and all of it could be lost to him forever.

“Donghyuck?” Mark touches his cheek lightly. Donghyuck blinks, realizing he had been staring into space, waxing poetic about Mark in his mind. He leans into Mark’s touch and closes his eyes. “I’m just, thinking about what Jaemin and Renjun said…” he trails off, and dares to open his eyes to see Mark’s expression. He is frowning.

“Hyuck, I told them that I’m fine with waiting. I don’t see why you need to stress about their meddling.” Mark unconsciously tightens his hold on Donghyuck.

“I know. But I don’t want to assume, Mark.” Donghyuck straightens himself up, sad to lose the warmth of Mark’s arms, but the conversation is too important for distractions. “I don’t want you to regret this—this limbo state I’m forcing you to be in.”

“Hyuckie, look at me.” 

He meets eyes with Mark who grabs his hands. Donghyuck is hit with a sense of déjà vu. Except this time he’s the one who feels like bolting.

“You’re not forcing me to do anything, Hyuck. I’m doing this because I respect your wishes and I want to be your boyfriend, but only when you choose to let me be your boyfriend. I’m not suddenly going to decide I don’t like you anymore just because you don’t feel ready.”

How does he do that? Say the right things that calm Donghyuck down, yet make his heart beat faster in the best way? Donghyuck feels affection bubbling in his heart. He once again seeks solace in Mark’s arms and relaxes, physically and emotionally. Mark Lee is the balm that can soothe any kind of hurt that Donghyuck may ever feel.

“I like you,” Donghyuck tells Mark. “I’m glad we’re friends.”

“Best friends,” Mark corrects him, as he runs his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair, combing them to gently get rid of any knots and tangles. _This is what that cat must be feeling today_ , Donghyuck thinks. Who wouldn’t want to follow Mark Lee when he makes you feel so loved.

  
❊ ❋ ❊ ❋ ❊

  
Donghyuck knew as soon as he woke up that it was going to be a terrible day. He hit snooze on his alarm one too many times and ended up rushing to his Creative Writing class, barely making it in time. Just as he was catching his breath, it dawned upon him that they were supposed to submit an assignment that he had completely forgotten about. This being his first tardy assignment, his professor took mercy on him and gave him till the evening to submit it.

Class after gruelling class left him drained of energy. By lunchtime, after finishing his pending assignment and submitting it, he just wanted a hug from Mark to feel like himself again. Hmm. He could call Mark, meet him for a hug, and send him on his way again. 

He brightened up at the prospect of meeting Mark, but when he shoved his hand in his jeans pocket, he realized he’d misplaced his phone. He was sure he hadn’t forgotten it at home—that meant he’d lost it between classes. Fuck his life. He spent the next hour checking every room he had been in. His phone was nowhere to be found. He wanted to cry. And all this stress was making him hungry. 

Donghyuck rested against the wall and swung his bag around, opening it to rummage inside for the chocolate bar he always kept for emergencies. He didn’t find the chocolate bar—and remembered that he had not only shared the last one with Mark but he had also forgotten to replace it—but he did find his phone. He was going to cry. 

Fuck it, he was simply going to go to Mark’s building and ambush him with a hug. Stomping over to Mark’s department felt good. He had a purpose. Finally, something nice awaited him after the exhausting day he’d had so far. 

He spoke too soon, he realized, as he spotted Mark. Donghyuck should have trusted his gut feeling, should have known it was probably one of the worst days of his life. He should have been prepared for things to go awry. But nothing could have prepared him for the sight of Mark Lee, his shy best friend, his requited crush, hanging on to the arm of one Wong Yukhei—hotshot athlete and a Psych major like Jaemin—caressing his bicep, looking up at with a sultry smile on his face as if beckoning him to bed. 

Donghyuck had never seen Mark look at anyone like that. (Donghyuck had never seen Mark look at him like that.) Renjun’s words from a couple weeks ago came to mind. What if Wong Yukhei had found Mark and wanted to make a move on him? What if Mark wanted him to? Why else would he look at him like _that_ while caressing his bicep?

Never has Donghyuck’s fight or flight response been triggered so quickly, and so overwhelmingly. He can either go home, sort his feelings out, and talk it out with Mark later, or he can— 

Before he can even finish the thought in his head, Donghyuck is walking towards Mark. He calls out his name, watches Mark turn towards him with a bright smile on his face. Mark opens his mouth, says something, but Donghyuck cannot hear anything over his heartbeat pounding in his ears. 

Grabbing the front of Mark’s t-shirt, Donghyuck pulls him close and plants his lips on his. It’s nothing great for such an anticipated first kiss, but it’ll have to do. Donghyuck is staking his claim right now. Mark responds, just like he hoped he would. Donghyuck takes his hand off Mark’s shirt to cradle his jaw gently, while his other hand snakes around Mark’s waist. They kiss for a long moment before breaking away. Mark looks dazed. And Donghyuck couldn’t be prouder of himself.

Throwing a sneaky, cocky glance at Yukhei, Donghyuck lightly caresses Mark’s neck. “I’ll see you at home,” he says and winks at Mark. He walks off, without looking back, certain that Mark cannot take his eyes off him.

The ringing in his ears begins to subside, and as sounds begin to filter in, Donghyuck is jolted back to reality. He hasn’t moved an inch from his spot, and Mark hasn’t noticed him. He has taken his hand off of Yukhei’s bicep but is laughing hard. He’ll start slapping Yukhei in excitement pretty soon, maybe that’ll drive him off, Donghyuck thinks bitterly.

Fight or flight? Of course, flight. He is a rational adult, not a clichéd jealous male lead. Donghyuck turns and goes home. He does not notice Mark having seen him leave.

  
❊ ❋ ❊ ❋ ❊

  
It feels like an eternity since Donghyuck has been sulking in his darkened room, but in reality, it’s only been 30 minutes. How could he forget that being a rational adult meant figuring out feelings and talking about them? 

He doesn’t know what to say to Mark. The answer is obvious: he wants Mark to be his boyfriend, stat. The question is, how does he tell Mark without saying ‘I was jealous and want to claim you before someone else does’? It sounds like—it sounds disrespectful to Mark; Mark, who has liked him for years, who confessed to him first, who waited patiently for Donghyuck to be ready to accept him.

Fuck, how can something so simple as saying ‘ _I like you, let’s date_ ’ be so complicated, so daunting? A soft knock on the door makes Donghyuck jump. Fuck, Mark’s already home.

“Hyuckie, can I come in?” Mark asks. Donghyuck frowns. Mark has never asked him that, then realizes that he shut his door fully—a mutually-decided sign of wanting space—instead of keeping it partly open like he normally does.

“Hyuck? Donghyuck?” Mark calls out again. Donghyuck scrambles to open the door. Mark’s worried face gives way to mild concern as Donghyuck invites him in. They sit on the bed in silence, both knowing that the other wants to talk, but unsure who should go first.

“Mark—” Donghyuck starts, just as Mark turns to him with a “Donghyuck—”

They stew in silence for a heartbeat. “You should go first, Mark,” Donghyuck concedes.

Mark exhales and nods. “Are you mad at me?” Donghyuck blinks at him, flabbergasted. Out of all the things Mark could say to him, this was the least expected.

“No,” he reassures him quickly. “Why would I be mad at you? What happened?”

“Well, you came to the department, right? But like, you didn’t meet me and left just like that. I saw you leaving, and I remembered I’d said I’d be home earlier today. So I thought maybe that’s why you’re mad...” Mark rambles, trailing off.

Donghyuck stays silent.

“Hyuck? I’m sorry, I didn’t forget, I promise! I just didn’t realize what the time is and—”

Donghyuck holds up a hand to pause Mark. The déjà vu is so strong. Mark is so cute, he is such a sweetheart. Donghyuck loves him. “I’m not mad at you, Mark,” he says, smiling.

“But then why did you leave without meeting me after coming all the way there?”

Donghyuck sighs. There really is no other easy way to say this. “Because I was jealous.”

“Wait, what?” Mark asks, frowning. “Jealous of whom?” 

“Yukhei,” Donghyuck answers, not meeting eyes with Mark.

“Yukhei? As in Wong Yukhei? My bro, Yukhei?” Mark cannot believe what he is hearing. “Why would you be jealous of him?”

“Because you were—you were like, fondling his bicep and making bedroom eyes at him!” Donghyuck’s face burns. “I thought, I don’t know what I thought, I was just angry at myself,” he adds in a small voice.

Mark’s hiccupy laughter fills the silence. He laughs and laughs, until he has to wipe a couple stray tears from his eyes. Donghyuck can’t help but feel offended. He huffs and crosses his arms against his chest. 

“Donghyuck,” Mark tries to get his laughter under control. “Hyuck, Yukhei started dating Kunhang last year, don’t you remember?”

Donghyuck does. Fuck. How could he have forgotten? Yukhei had only very publicly asked Kunhang out, right after winning the match for their college, and Kunhang had said yes, and then they’d made out on the field. The hype had taken weeks to die down. 

Donghyuck feels doubly embarrassed now. No wonder Mark was laughing at him. He hides his face in his hands, too ashamed to look at Mark. “Fuck,” he mumbles. His hands are gently pried away from his face. Mark is giving him the same look he was giving Yukhei—no, this is different, it’s more fond, Donghyuck realizes. He blushes furiously.

“Yukhei was telling me an anecdote about Kunhang and asked me to act as he told me to, to get the full picture,” Mark says, still holding Donghyuck’s hands.

“Oh,” Donghyuck says, feeling like an idiot. “Yeah, _oh_ ,” Mark teases. “Yes, yes, fine, so I was jealous and silly,” Donghyuck huffs. Mark stares at him for a moment.

“I’m interested in what you being jealous means, Hyuckie,” he states.

“It means I like you. I want to date you, and I want all your attention. No more making bedroom eyes at other people,” Donghyuck states confidently, enjoying watching Mark get more and more flustered.

“I wasn’t making bedroom eyes!” 

“You were!”

“Was not—wait,” Mark’s eyes widen in realization. “You said you want to date me?”

Donghyuck nods shyly. “I do. I’m sorry it took me so long,” he says.

Mark hugs Donghyuck with such force, they both topple over. “There’s no need to apologize, Hyuck,” Mark says into his neck. His warm breath against his skin makes a shiver run down Donghyuck’s spine. “I’m just happy you felt ready enough.”

Donghyuck wraps his arms around Mark’s shoulders. “I think I’ve been ready for a while now. I just needed a push, I suppose.”

Mark lifts his head, smiling softly at Donghyuck. They are so close, barely an inch between their lips. Donghyuck’s eyes flutter close, lips pouting slightly, waiting for Mark to kiss him. Just as Mark is about to close the distance between their lips, Donghyuck’s eyes fly open.

“Fuck! This is so embarrassing!” he exclaims. Mark blinks at him, worried. “What is?” he asks. “This!” Donghyuck wails. “Our getting together story—I confessed because I got jealous like a clichéd male lead in romance films!”

Mark smiles fondly at him. “But Hyuckie, you love those films.”

Donghyuck bites his lip, trying to stop himself from smiling dopily at Mark. “I do.”

“And I love you,” Mark says quietly. Donghyuck’s mouth falls open. “You said ‘like’ and not ‘love’ last time,” he accuses.

“Because I didn’t want to scare you away.”

“Alright,” Donghyuck says, tightening his arms around Mark’s neck, slowly bringing him closer. “I love you, too. But you have to promise me you’ll omit this jealousy business when you tell people about how we got together.”

“Oh? And why will I be telling people that?” 

“Duh, because they’ll want to know how you managed to score a—”

Donghyuck’s bragging is cut off by Mark’s lips descending on his. Donghyuck relaxes into the kiss. This, he thinks, this is what a long-anticipated first kiss should feel like. Loving and tender, and not fuelled by jealousy. They kiss, and they kiss until their lips are red and swollen. Mark pecks Donghyuck one more time before moving off of him to lie beside him.

They cuddle in silence, enjoying this act of comfort and intimacy. The warmth and Donghyuck’s even breaths coupled with the happiness in his heart is lulling Mark to sleep, when Donghyuck suddenly exclaims, “Mark, fuck!”

Mark becomes alert immediately. “What? What happened?”

“You made our first kiss cliché! You pulled the ‘shut up’ kiss on me!”  
  
Mark pulls him closer, holding him so that his face is buried in Mark’s chest. Donghyuck laughs. A moment later, Mark bursts out laughing as well. They sober up for a moment, and trade a few kisses, before laughing again. They can’t help it; they’re in love.

**Author's Note:**

> I did not think I'd be writing so soon after posting my first fic, [blooming](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26141704). But I just couldn't help it after the MaHae live. Not to mention, this was especially fun to write after the emotional rollercoaster that is my KunTen fic.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Feedback is welcomed and appreciated!
> 
> I have a new [twt](https://mobile.twitter.com/gummieistrying) and [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/gummieistrying)! Come talk to me :)


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